Rochdale Infirmary

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

This is the first assessment of this service under this provider. We assessed 5 quality statements. This key question has been rated good.

This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care. People were treated as individuals and supported with their needs and preferences.

Staff were supported in their wellbeing and to deliver person-centred care.

However, staff in CAU did not always respond quickly to meet individual needs, such as repositioning patients at meal times to assist with their eating.

This service scored 70 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The evidence showed a good standard. The service treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity where possible.

Staff treated patients with kindness and respect. They were discreet and caring when interacting with patients and provided emotional support and advice when needed. Patients told us staff behaved appropriately and treated them well. Staff said they could raise concerns about disrespectful, discriminatory, or abusive behaviour without fear of consequences.

Staff maintained confidentiality when handling patient information. During personal care observations, staff used curtains to maintain physical privacy; however, conversations about patients’ medical status and pain management were audible to others in the bay.

The evidence showed a good standard. The service treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences.

Staff understood patients’ cultural, social, and religious needs and tailored care accordingly. They provided food choices that met religious and cultural dietary requirements and accounted for allergies and intolerances. Staff ensured patients had access to spiritual support.

The service made adjustments to meet patients’ communication needs. Staff used coloured wristbands to identify individual needs, such as blue for cognitive impairment and white for learning disability. Communication aids were available in all clinical areas, including hospital communication books with images and advice. Posters encouraged patients, relatives, and carers to inform staff of communication needs. A learning disability liaison service supported clinical staff during weekdays.

The evidence showed a good standard. The service promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

Staff promoted independence and choice. Patients were supported to maintain contact with friends and family, and signage encouraged them to stay connected with loved ones. Staff helped patients access phones when needed. Families were welcomed to participate in mealtimes, recognising the therapeutic value of shared routines and emotional support.

A designated “patient corner” was available for social interaction, equipped with a table, chairs, games, and a television, although staff reported only occasional use. One patient told us she used her own drinking bottle to promote independence and choice. Drinks rounds were completed on time, and fluids were available throughout the day.

The evidence showed a need for improvement. The service listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. However, staff did not always respond to people’s needs in the moment and act to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

We saw that on the Oasis Unit that staff gave immediate response to patients to minimise discomfort, concern or distress.

On the unit we saw that new patients were assessed immediately, for example, we saw one patient who had arrived on the unit early in the morning and been showered, received a haircut, dressed and received breakfast by 9:30am.

However, staff did not always anticipate and respond promptly to patients’ immediate needs. On CAU we saw some patients struggled to eat due to poor positioning, staff did not always notice and respond to this quickly. In one case, the lead nurse requested assistance to reposition a patient who appeared slumped in bed. However, patients reported that staff responded promptly to call bells and requests for help.

The evidence showed a good standard. The service cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care.

Staff felt respected, supported and valued.

Staff felt positive and proud about working for the provider and their team. There were staff social evenings to which many staff took part in

Staff had access to support for their own physical and emotional health needs through an occupational health service.

Staff were offered 4 hours wellbeing time during a 12 month period where they were able to utilise the time to do something for their wellbeing. This was known as SCARF.

Staff were supported during morning huddles to discuss any work concerns that were impacting on their wellbeing.

Staff returning from sickness received wellbeing meetings rather than sickness meetings.

There were opportunities for staff to receive referrals to occupational health or finance and debt referrals.

There were discount schemes available to staff.

The provider recognised staff success within the service – for example, through staff awards.

Staff appraisals included conversations about career development and how it could be supported.

Many staff on the medical wards teams were involved with the Oasis Unit garden. There was a garden specifically for staff peace and relaxation next to the Oasis Unit garden. In addition, individual teams in the hospital had an allocated flower bed in the Oasis Unit garden to tend to in a competition with other teams. Staff told us that the garden brought them a lot of comfort and spending time in there cleared their head.